Louisiana: residency suit against McCrery moved to federal court

The Shreveport Times reports: A lawsuit challenging U.S. Rep. Jim McCrery's residency should be heard, not in state court, but in U.S. District Court, a Caddo District judge said Monday.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday by Patti Cox, one of three candidates who lost to McCrery in the Nov. 7 election. McCrery won re-election with 57 percent of the vote.

Judge Jeanette Garrett ruled a federal court should determine the matter because McCrery won a federal election.

"This court is divested of jurisdiction of this case," Garrett said Monday morning, minutes after McCrery originally had been set to appear in her court for the suit. -- The Shreveport Times

KTBS 3 reports: U.S. Rep. Jim McCrery of Shreveport Wednesday asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit challenging his residency here, maintaining he is a legal resident of his district and saying Congress -- not the courts -- decides the qualifications for office. ...